


A Well Dressed Man

by JustARandomNerd



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders is So Done, Astronomy Nerds, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders is Extra, Enemies to Lovers, M/M, More Like Rivals to Lovers Though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:41:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26987668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustARandomNerd/pseuds/JustARandomNerd
Summary: Coffee shop worker Virgil is annoyed when tired college student Roman comes in at ungodly hours impeccably dressed.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders
Comments: 8
Kudos: 111





	A Well Dressed Man

Virgil generally liked his job. The small coffee shop was cozy, his bosses were pretty relaxed and generally everyone who came in was nice. The only drawback was the occasional chatty customer, but usually Janus swept in to save him from awkward interactions.

The first time he came to the shop Virgil was working the night shift alone. Usually nights were pretty calm, the shop was filled with busy college students who weren’t looking for conversation. The quiet tapping noises of laptops and scratching of pencils paired with the smell of coffee always put him in a good mood. He stood out as soon as he walked in because of how he was dressed. Normally as it got later the students became messier. Jeans and tee shirts degenerated into sweatpants and shirts. He came in impeccably dressed, and with perfectly styled hair.

Virgil disliked him instantly. Why did he feel the need to be so well dressed? It made everyone else look bad. The worst part was that he looked good, really good. Which only made Virgil resent the mysterious guy even more.

As he approached the counter Virgil prepared himself to make what will surely be a fancy, overly complicated drink, “Can I get a triple, medium, soy, no foam latte please?”

Virgil nodded and quickly started making the order when he heard “Hey, you’re in my astronomy class right?”

Virgil froze, of course he was a talker, and his voice was irritating. He seemed to have an air of regality when he spoke. Sighing, Virgil responded, “Maybe, I don’t really pay attention to who’s in my classes,”

The man, Virgil decided to nickname him Princey, seemed aghast at the thought that he wouldn’t recognize him. “What did you think about that lesson about constellations? Aren’t the stories fascinating?”

“That’s one way to think about it. Almost all of them were put in the stars because they died. It makes me think about the futility of life rather than an entertaining story.” Virgil replied, handing Princey his drink.

“That’s an interesting point of view I suppose. Well have a wonderful night,” Princey glanced down at his name tag with a the store’s trademark spider on it “Virgil. See you in class.”

**********  
In astronomy class Virgil kept his head down and avoided Princey’s gaze, desperate to escape social interaction. He did, however, notice that at the 7 AM class Princey was always perfectly dressed, and never had a hair out of place. It only made Virgil angier that he continued to look amazingly handsome.

A week later Virgil was working the night shift again and Princey walked in, again perfectly styled. “Good evening, Virgil, isn’t it a fine night?”

“For some people I suppose. What do you want?” Virgil said, annoyed at his cheeriness despite the late hour.

“No need to be mean, a medium, non-fat latte with caramel drizzle please”

Again, a pretentious order, everything about Princey seemed to set Virgil off more and more. Luckily Princey didn’t try to make any more small talk, and Virgil made his order in peace. Princey sat down in a corner with his drink, looking unfairly put together as he worked.

After about an hour and a half later Virgil was startled by a textbook being dropped on the counter. He looked up to see Princey smiling at him, holding up their astronomy homework. “Hey! Can you help me with this question about black holes?”

Virgil sighed “Can’t you do it yourself, Princey?”

“Princey? Does this mean you find me dashingly handsome?” Virgil had to clean the machines before closing and then get some pastries ready for the next day. The last thing he wanted to do was deal with Princey.

“In your dreams,” he started to say, but despite his quick response, Princey seemed a little upset though, and before he could stop himself Virgil said “If it’s quick though I can maybe help.”

Thankfully, it only took five minutes to answer his question, and Princey surprisingly kept up with Virgil’s snarky comments, and responded with snark of his own. When they were done Princey thanked him, even though Virgil could tell it hurt his pride just a little.

“No problem, man.”

“Actually, it’s Roman, with R and O.” Princey said, and then he was gone.

**********  
In the weeks after that during astronomy Roman and Virgil would compete to see who could answer more questions correctly. Even Logan, objectively the smartest person in class, seemed impressed by how much they knew. Their rivalry bled into their interactions at the coffee shop as well. Soon they started a bet comparing test grades. If Roman did better, Virgil sized up his coffee for free, but if Virgil did better, Roman had to get a normal drink and not a fancy one.

Despite their bickering they each respected the other’s drive. Occasionally they would study together, quizzing each other while Virgil cleaned up. It was almost enjoyable. Roman was always entertaining to talk to, despite his ego, and Virgil loved teasing him, especially when it came to how he was always well dressed. Roman always said it was Virgil’s way of flirting without damaging his ego, which had some merit to it. Virgil could admit that Roman was attractive, but had never considered dating him.

Roman was winning by one by the time finals rolled around. The final was going to be the last test they could compete with. Virgil pushed down the occasional thought that he would miss their rivalry. Roman would probably still show up at the coffee shop, but their interactions wouldn’t be the same.

It was right before finals when Roman walked in later than usual. At first Virgil didn’t recognize him. He was wearing a sweatshirt and shorts, his hair was a mess and he was wearing glasses. The bags under his eyes, could even match Virgil’s. When he stepped up to the counter Virgil asked gently “You okay there, Princey?”

Roman seemed startled by his soft tone and replied “I’m fine, just give me a black coffee.”

“Are you sure about that? It looks like you could use some rest. I’m looking forward to beating you on this test, and I want it to be fair.” Roman only nodded in response, and went over to a table to start working.

A few minutes later when Virgil called his name Roman stumbled towards the counter to grab his drink. Virgil let Roman stay while he started the closing routine. He occasionally glanced over to see the disheveled Roman furiously typing or writing. Suddenly it hit him.

Roman looked cute like this. Virgil always thought he was handsome, something that only irritated him, but when Roman looked so soft and focused on the soft lights of the cafe, it made Virgil mushy on the inside. Of course he realized he had a crush on his rival right before they’ll stop seeing each other regularly.

When it was finally time to close the store Virgil approached Roman, “Hey Princey I have to kick you out now.”

Roman groaned and started to pack up his things. When he started walking towards the door Virgil noticed how unsteady he was. Without thinking, Virgil slipped an arm beneath the half-asleep man’s shoulders and started walking with him.

“I don’t need your help, emo boy.” Roman weakly protested.

“Princey you can’t even walk in a straight line, what dorm are you at? I'll help you get there.”

Roman told him and Virgil made sure he got home safely. By the time they reached his door, Roman looked about ready to fall asleep standing up. Virgil knocked on the door, and a concerned looking man opened the door.

“Roman, oh my gosh, are you okay? I’ve been worried about you. I told you to go to sleep. Oh! Hi! I’m Roman’s roommate Patton, nice to meet you, thanks for bringing Roman home safely.” Virgil was a little flustered by how kind Patton seemed to be, as he brought Roman over to his bed.

“Hi, I work at the coffee shop nearby, Prin-Roman didn’t seem to be in any sta-”

Patton cut him off before he could finish introducing himself, “Oh! You must be Virgil, Roman rants about you all the time. Between me and you, he seems a little enamored, and from what he says about you, I think it’s reciprocated. Anyway, I’ve probably said too much, thanks for bringing him home. Have a great night!”

And with that Virgil was ushered out of the room and left staring at the door, blushing. He walked back to his dorm quickly, trying to forget the image of how beautiful and cute Roman looked as he studied.

**********  
After finals were over Virgil waited anxiously for Roman to return to the cafe. The night after their grades came out Roman walked in, unlike last time, perfectly dressed.

“First things first, thank you for bringing me home that night. I assure you, I won’t burden you like that again.” Roman said as soon as he reached the counter.

“It was really no problem. I just didn’t want an unfair competition.” Virgil replied, pink dusting his cheeks just a little.

“Secondly, I want to change the terms of our bet for the last test.”

“Oh, to what?” Virgil was curious to hear what new terms Roman had dreamed up.

“If I did better than you I want to take you on a date.”

Virgil froze, his face felt beet red, he opened his mouth, but no words came out. It seemed unreal. Ever since he realized he had a crush on Roman, he’d been thinking about if Roman even liked him back. It seemed unrealistic, and yet, Roman practically just asked him out.

After a few seconds Virgil was able to compose himself and replied “On one condition.”

“And what would that be?”

“If I did better than you I get to take you out.”

Within seconds the red of Roman’s cheeks matched Virgil’s. He sputtered “I guess- I suppose, that’s reasonable.”

Virgil smirked, “I got a 97.”

Roman then smiled “I got a 99.”

**********  
A few days later Roman picked Virgil up from his dorm. Virgil had no idea what to expect. What if Roman wanted to do something outside of Virgil’s comfort zone? What if it was awful? What if they couldn’t stop bickering the whole time?

When Roman finally revealed that they were going mini-golfing Virgil was doubtful. Mini-golfing seemed childish, and silly, but it ended up being perfect. They were able to talk while they hit the balls around, and have a light-hearted competition. When Virgil emerged victorious, he said he would claim a prize later.

After mini-golf they picked up some food and walked leisurely back to campus, talking (and sometimes fighting good-naturedly) back to the dorms. When they reached Virgil’s door Virgil declared “It’s time for me to claim my prize, close your eyes Princey.”

Leaning down, he kissed Roman on the cheek. Roman smiled and blushed a little before opening his eyes again. When he looked at Virgil, he was radiant. Then he whispered “Coward” and pulled Virgil in for a real kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Thanks for making it this far, this is my first SS fic so sorry if everyone seems a bit out of character. Also I know absolutely nothing about coffee so if anything seems wrong, I blame Google.


End file.
